Other students, however, were inundated with work. They were studying and trying not to fail. I watched them come in, stress showing plainly on their faces. The knowledge each book brought them doing little to smooth out the worry lines. I’d never been one to panic too much over tests but could see that other students were.
I wondered as I removed my hoodie and pulled my t-shirt down to cover my flat stomach if that kind of stress had caused Kenny to back out of our date. I was still too warm but I knew the air conditioner wouldn’t come on in the building until next week.
Maybe he’d decided to study instead of going out to have fun. But what about Gerard? Surely both dates wouldn’t have made that same decision. It must have been me they didn’t want to go out with.
I skulked around the building, hiding from students that might ask me for help, all while I put books back on the shelves and did the few tasks I could do.
The day sped by up until I got to work. That’s when I was certain the clock high up on the wall near the checkout desk stopped ticking. I stared at the second-hand willing it to move, but I could have sworn it just sat there, stuck.
I checked out a student who had brought six thick books up to the desk. They must have a history final I assumed as I noted the titles. A familiar voice caught my attention as I took the student’s ID to scan it, and I felt a chill run down my back. A quick glance up showed me that my nightmare wasn’t over.
Amanda had just pulled a guy down along a row of shelves, her eyes on him, lust written all over her face.
For a moment, I saw red. I wanted to go down there and bang her head into the wall, but I wasn’t the violent type. The sound of a throat clearing reminded me that I was in the middle of checking a student’s books out for them.
“Sorry, here you go.” I pushed the stack of books over with an apology and the printout that was produced every time a transaction was completed. The student didn’t say anything as they put the books in a canvas bag and left.
I could only sigh as a loud giggle came from the shelves where Amanda hid with her latest conquest. You’d think by now, the guys would know that she was just playing a game. Maybe they didn’t care, I mused.
Men were only after one thing, wasn’t that what women always said? My mom thought so and often moaned about the dating scene for older women. She wanted a relationship, someone to build a future with, but all she seemed to find were men that wanted a good time and nothing more.
I watched the student walk out of the building and realized that I wasn’t much different. I wanted to start my life before I got into a serious relationship. I planned to work for a couple of years, save money, buy a house, and travel a bit before I settled down. Until then, I planned to play the field, have my own fun, and discover life.
Not so different at all from my male peers, I guess. I wandered away from the shelves that Amanda was currently desecrating and dusted the books on the other side of the library with a duster. This was not fun at all, but I only had a few weeks left.
After that, I’d be free of Amanda and this job. She was going out to California I’d learned last semester, eager to work her way up to a coveted position as a newscaster for a morning show or something like that out there. I didn’t really care when she told me about her plans, but she thought everyone would want to know what she would be doing with her life.
The library emptied out quickly enough as Mrs. Lawson came out of her office to lend a hand. I let her run the desk and hid in the stacks. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even the kind librarian, today. I just wanted to get through the next couple of weeks as quietly as possible.
I’d make an exception for Brooklyn, I decided when I felt my phone buzz in the back pocket of my jeans. I took the phone out and looked at the message. Brooklyn wanted to know if I’d be alright on my own tonight.
I texted back and told her that I’d be fine and thanked her for the support she’d given me without complaint over the weekend. Normally, Brooklyn spent every night over at Stuart’s, but this weekend, they’d both decided that Brooklyn should give me all of her attention.